


Cruel Summer

by RidingMalum



Series: Song Fics [2]
Category: Outer Banks (TV)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Pining, Pre-Relationship, Song fics, look I love taylor swift dont hate on me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 08:55:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29805984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RidingMalum/pseuds/RidingMalum
Summary: "...and I screamed for whatever it’s worth “I love you” ain’t that the worst thing you’ve ever heard. He looks up Grinning like a devil...."
Relationships: JJ/Pope (Outer Banks)
Series: Song Fics [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2177361
Kudos: 10





	Cruel Summer

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't my best work but I'm still trying to get a hang of writing fics from songs.

Summers were the Pogue's favorite of the year. Yeah, they had to work but when they didn’t they could surf until they were ready to fall over. Party with people until they wake up with a foggy memory and in general do whatever they wanted. Everybody ignored their antics until they needed something from them. Which was ideal for them. Pope on the other hand wasn’t having the best summer. They had just finished junior year and the amount of stress that was on Pope’s shoulders doubled.

Pope handled stress well. He could take more than most people could. The only thing that bothered him was when people didn’t realize the amount of pressure he had on him. His dad wanted him to go to college and get off of this island, which is difficult enough as is but when you start from below the bottom it’s suffocating trying to work your way up. Maybe this is why his friends are who they are. They all go with the flow and while that can work against Pope in some ways it usually helps him breathe when he can just sit there and laugh at dumb jokes.

This summer is cruel, though. Not only is he trying to find colleges that will accept him or trying to figure out how it’ll work out money-wise or travel-wise, but it’s just much more personal this summer. He’s never really had to deal with his feelings before. He always worked too hard to have crushes, the one time he did it was on Kiara, and looking back he thinks that maybe it had to do with the fact that she was the only single girl among them and that she was always kind to Pope. But now he’s come to the realization that not only does he have a crush on somebody but he loves them. When he realized it was JJ who he had feelings for he wasn’t shocked. He wasn’t angry or depressed. It made sense. In the rush of just a few seconds, he realized he’s been in love with JJ for longer than he could even realize.

He can’t pinpoint the moment when his feelings for his best friend turned from platonic to romantic but he doesn’t care, because he realizes that it doesn’t actually matter. The worst thing, Pope realized, about having feelings, was that sometimes it was one-sided. No, he hadn’t talked to JJ about it, and he knows everyone would tell him to but right now at 11:30 pm at a party at the boneyard JJ is very clearly flirting with a curly-haired blonde. She has long hair and pretty lips and everything that JJ could possibly want for the night.

This is one of the many reasons why Pope has a cup filled with warm beef in it right now, despite never drinking. He knows it’s partially his fault that he won’t tell JJ how he feels but what would be the point if he would reciprocate then. He knows JJ wouldn’t stop being his friend but he knows it’s awkward.

“Hey!” Kie yells at him. If the way she couldn’t stand straight then the smell of alcohol coming off of her would be enough to tell Pope that she’s drunk. “It’s a part and you’re not dancing! Why aren’t you dancing?”

“You know I’m not a good dancer,” Pope says, simply. It’s not that he’s horrible at it it’s just that every time he feels like people are watching him and he hates that.

“Everyone’s already too drunk to notice. Come dance with me.” His friend demands as she makes grabby hands. Pope can’t help but smile at her. He’s always loved Kie, even when he thought he loved her in a romantic way he still always loved her platonically.

He looks over at JJ and the girl again and a knife feels like it’s being twisted in his heart so he downs whats left in his cup and joins Kie in her dancing. Pope completely forgets himself and his surroundings for a while as he dances as the wind blows. He forgets how many times he refills his cup and he makes it a point to not look at his blonde friend.

After a while, Pope walks over to where John b. is sitting and after he takes a couple of breaths he feels the adrenaline slowly melt out of him and he starts to realize how drunk he actually is. It’s strange for Pope, he’s not someone who drinks at parties and this is the first time he’s been drunk and he doesn’t know how he feels about it. The drinking has done what he wanted it to do, everything is a blur and the music sounds like it’s underwater and everything feels slow. But he’s keenly aware of himself, something that he’s been avoiding.

“Hey, dude, are you okay?” He hears John b. ask but Pope doesn’t respond. He ignores his friend and tries to pull out his phone, it takes a few tries for him to get it out of his pocket. He doesn’t know what he’s trying to do but he doesn’t want to be sitting here with his thoughts.

After Pope drops his phone for the third time John b. stands up and grabs Pope, “that’s it I’m taking you back to my place.”

Pope just nods and stumbles alongside John b. He gets in the back of the van and realizes that Kie is sitting in the front seat. He wonders when she got there. When John b. starts the van, the low hum lulls Pope to sleep.

**-**

When he wakes up it’s bright outside. It takes him a minute to realize that he’s at John b’s house and on the pull-out couch. He doesn’t remember much from last night and he doesn’t remember at all how he got here. He remembers how he felt last night, though. How he tried to drown his sadness and jealousy with alcohol and failing miserably.

He sits up and blinks the sleep out of his eyes and notices how dry his mouth is. He stumbles out of bed and heads to the kitchen to get a glass of water. He doesn’t know what time it is but the bedroom doors are shut so he’s assuming that John b. and Kie are asleep so he tries to keep quiet. When he has a full glass he walks onto the porch and sits quietly. Trying to enjoy the sounds of bugs chirping and the ocean moving instead of focusing on his raging headache.

He’s so busy trying to tune some things out that he doesn’t notice as JJ comes walking up to the house. He only notices that JJ was here when he plops down beside him.

JJ is the first to talk, this doesn’t surprise Pope the other boy hates silence. “So, what happened last night?”

Pope looks at him and JJ is looking at him quizzically. Pope just shrugs and takes a sip of his water. Seeing JJ is bringing back thoughts of the girl that he was talking to last night and the thought makes a knot form in his throat. Popes not a crier and he doesn’t think he would normally in this situation but he’s hungover and not ready for this conversation.

“Seriously, you got wasted and disappeared.”

“Not like it mattered to you. You were with some random girl, again.” Pope finally says, and he can hear the venom in his own voice.

JJ flinches back at his voice and frowns, “I did notice. You passed out here. After you left so did I. I wasn’t about to leave you behind. So tell me. What’s your deal?”

Pope is quiet. He thought JJ went home with that girl. But he doesn’t really think that changes anything. He loves JJ and JJ doesn’t love him and that upsets him. Bottom line.

“I love you.” Pope rushes out. He knows that his feelings aren’t going away and he doesn’t want to have the feeling of unrequited love eat away at him. He had to get it out, for whatever it’s worth.

He looks at JJ, who for his part looks up at him grinning like a devil that had just struck a deal.

“You love me?” JJ asks, and hearing it out loud feels like a punch to Pope’s chest.

Pope just nods and then JJ says something he never expected he’d hear. “I love you, too, ya know.”

“I’m not joking JJ.” Pope says, feeling like he’s being mocked.

“I’m not either,” JJ says, seriously. “I’d kiss you but your hungover and you haven’t brushed your teeth.”

That startles a laugh out of Pope and he smiles. Maybe it was a cruel summer but at least from here on out he’ll have JJ.

**Author's Note:**

> If you like it let me know and if you want a certain song fic let me know a song and a pairing. 
> 
> check out my tumblr @ svnnypope


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